petty offenses
Small legal violations
Petty offenses are minor criminal violations, less serious than misdemeanors—typically punishable by small fines rather than jail time.
Traffic tickets, loitering, and minor trespassing fall into this category.
The term appears in legal contexts to distinguish trivial infractions from crimes requiring formal court proceedings: The court handles petty offenses without a jury.
- minor infractionsSmall legal violations
- infractionsMinor violations of rules
- finesMonetary sanctions or particles
- civil penaltiesNon-criminal legal sanctions
- traffic ticketsPenalties for driving violations
warnings · jaywalking · parking violations · fix-it ticket · trespassing · misdemeanors · loitering · citations · vagrancy · open container · noise complaints · community service · demerits · court summons · bench trial · reprimands · slap on the wrist · public intoxication
- lower courtsmagistrates court, district court, district courts, municipal court, municipal courts
petty offensesfelonies
Serious punishable offenses
capital offenses · capital crimes · high crimes · first-degree murder · crimes against humanity
petty offensesatrocities
Extremely cruel acts
mortal sins · abominations · cardinal sins · crimes against humanity · genocide
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